P2.273: Expanding Methods and Frequency of Communication to Increase Lab Compliance Rates in the Preventive Cardiology Patient Population

Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of the Preventive Cardiology program is to monitor and treat children with dyslipidemia through dietary and lifestyle changes and medication management. Current lab values are integral to diagnosing and managing lipid disorders. We observed that several patients were arriving at clinic visits without completing fasting labs, which decreased the effectiveness of the clinic visit and increased the follow-up burden for the provider and nursing team.

We hypothesized that expanding the methods and frequency of communication through mail, telephone calls, and text messaging would lead to an increased number of labs completed prior to new patient preventive cardiology visits.

Design/Methods: We initiated a quality improvement project in the Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital to increase lab compliance rates in new preventive cardiology patients. In February 2024, we formally met to develop an Aim Statement, Key Driver Diagram, and Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. As of February 2025, we have implemented three communication interventions from successful PDSA cycles including new patient letters, telephone call reminders, and text messaging reminders in communicating with our sample size of 968 patients. In addition, we created a Licensed Professional Initiated Protocol (LPIP) allowing the nursing team to place a pre-approved comprehensive lab panel for all new and follow up patients in the preventive clinic.

Results: From January 2023 to February 2025, lab compliance rates in new Preventive Cardiology Patients have increased from a baseline of 63% to 74%. Though not the direct aim of the project, lab compliance rates have also increased in the follow up Preventive Cardiology Patients from 71% to 85%. The process has shown sustainability for greater than one year thus far despite the increasing number of referrals and new patient visits over time.

Conclusion/Discussion: In conclusion, lab compliance is essential to the Preventive Cardiology Program, and we have observed that expanding the methods and frequency of communication increases lab compliance rates.